


Our 084

by DisneyOTPFanatic



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Established Phil Coulson/Melinda May, F/M, Phil Coulson & Melinda May are Skye's Parents, Philinda - Freeform, baby Daisy, philinda adopts baby daisy because CUTE, philindaisy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:28:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28400163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DisneyOTPFanatic/pseuds/DisneyOTPFanatic
Summary: S.H.I.E.L.D stumbles upon a peculiar little 084, and no one knows what to make of it. Thankfully, Director Victoria Hand knows just the agents to turn to.
Relationships: Phil Coulson & Melinda May & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Phil Coulson/Melinda May
Comments: 20
Kudos: 104





	Our 084

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, this started as a little fun chat prompt thing on Tumblr, and then grew WILDLY out of control. I had people inboxing me like crazy, asking when the fic was coming. Originally, there was no fic. I was just going to leave it as it was and let other people do what they wanted with it. But I figured, hey, I'm a writer, let me go ahead and try my hand at this.
> 
> FIRST OF ALL: This ended up so much longer than I intended.
> 
> SECOND OF ALL: I did edit this, but it's been so long since I've watched an episode of AoS that I feel like my Philinda might be a liiiiiittle OOC. Idk.
> 
> THIRD OF ALL: I know very little about babies and what they can do at each age. I've discovered that it varies from baby to baby. So if some of the stuff I have Daisy capable of doing in this fic don't make sense, blame the internet for lying to me. XD
> 
> And finally: I STRUGGLED to end this. Like... There were so many other directions I could have gone and none of them felt right, so if the ending feels oddly placed, that's because it is. 
> 
> ENJOY THIS MESS THX K BYE
> 
> (Oh yeah and this is an AU, so I made Hand the director cuz I'm nuts. Also Garrett is their friend and Ward isn't an idiot. Okay enjoy.)

"Wait, I'm lost. The 084 is what?"

Phil Coulson and Melinda May stood in Director Victoria Hand's office, staring down at the contents of the S.H.I.E.L.D-branded box they had just opened. 

It had been a fairly normal day so far, if a day that consisted of taking down a HYDRA stronghold could be considered normal. Which in this case, it was. Coulson and May had led the team that landed first, knocking down the stronghold's defenses and making way for the rest of their agents. Riding on the adrenaline high of yet another victory, the pair had disappeared after their debriefing to break open a bottle and celebrate on their own.

Director Hand had called them in a few hours later, right as they were headed back from a sparring session. The sun was close to setting outside, so most of the base was empty as they walked the halls, most of the agents having gone home to spend the rest of the evening with their families and friends. May and Coulson were of the few who didn't have family they needed to check in with after missions.

Hand had informed them that there was a matter of "great importance" that she needed to discuss with them, and they assumed it had something to do with their mission earlier in the day. But when they came into her office, all they saw was a metal box that was usually only used for 084s. 

They hadn't found any 084s on this particular mission, just some questionable weaponry that was currently being tested off-site.

Hand had encouraged the two agents to open the box and examine the contents together, and she watched silently as they warily pulled out various objects, such as a teething ring, a blanket, a few tattered onesies, and a half-empty package of diapers.

Coulson was currently holding the blanket in his hand, examining the white clouds printed on it. His question hung in the air for a few moments, until Hand handed a confused and wary-looking May a black folder.

"A week ago our satellites picked up some abnormal vibrations in a village on the outskirts of China. When we dropped in, all we found was her," Hand gestured to the file. "in the center of a crater, unharmed."

May cautiously opened the file, her eyebrow raising at the photo of their 084.

"You think she caused the crater?" She pointed at the photo of a baby girl, a tiny face with chubby cheeks and big brown eyes, her mouth slightly agape as she stared directly into the camera with curiosity. Her tiny hands were balled into fists up near her head, her little legs blurred as if she had been kicking them when the photo was taken. She had a decent amount of dark brown hair on her head, a single strand of it laying across her forehead. May glanced up at her assumed age, her frown deepening. "She's only seven months old."

Coulson leaned over to look at the photo, and May felt her chest clench at the softness that took over his face. He placed his hand on her lower back as he read the paperwork in her hands, his eyes darting all over the file until he finished.

"We've never had a baby be an 084." He said with an odd laugh. "You said the team found her a week ago? Where has she been this whole time?"

"In various labs, being tested."

"...you ran tests on a baby? Like a rat?" Coulson frowned. If he and May hadn't had such a close relationship with Director Hand, they might be on the receiving end of a lecture at this line of questioning. But Hand had worked with them for a number of years at this point, and they had fought at her side on more than a few missions. They had seen agents come and go, had talked difficult situations through and never let their confidential conversations go further than she wanted. They were among the few agents that Hand trusted with her life.

"No, of course not, Coulson." Hand rolled her eyes. "We're secret agents, not monsters. We took a few samples of her blood, scanned her a few times...that's it."

"What's going to happen to her?" May asked, handing the file over to Coulson, who took it with just a little too much enthusiasm.

"We thought about putting her into the system. Move her around so no one catches wind of her, at least until she's older and we can recruit her."

Melinda stiffened at that, her eyes filling with something akin to fear mixed with anger. She had gone on a few dates with a man who specialized in pediatric psychiatry, and had learned that in situations like the one this baby would be put in, the child tends to constantly question their own worth. They tend to wonder what they were doing wrong, if they were broken and if they even deserved to have a family.

"We can't do that." At Hand's raised eyebrow, May sighed and glanced over at Phil who simply continued to stare tenderly at the photo of the baby in the file. "If we dump her into the system and uproot her over and over, she's going to think no one wants her. And when she learns the truth, there's no guarantee that she'll understand why we did it and she might turn against us."

Hand considered this, looking between May and Coulson as she weighed their options.

"You have a point, Agent May, I'll give you that. But what else could we do with her? We don't have a nursery or anyone trained in pediatric care who could take her. And as content as we might be here, a S.H.I.E.L.D base is no place to raise a baby." Hand paused, then crossed her arms over her chest. "And who would she call her mother and father? She'd be being raised by an entire organization."

May bit her lip, turning her full attention to Coulson who had tuned back into their conversation and was probably thinking the same as she. It was a crazy thought, there was no doubt about that, but honestly it was the only option May would be comfortable with.

"We'll take her." He said with a lopsided grin, his eyes not leaving Melinda's.

Coulson had always wanted to be a dad. The idea of having a little someone with maybe his eyes or his smile, who would look at him and know he would always be there for them… he wanted that. He wanted a wife, kids, maybe a dog. But once he had enrolled at the Academy, that little dream was set on the back burner. He loved working for S.H.I.E.L.D, and knew that there were agents who had made civilian life and S.H.I.E.L.D life mix well. But Coulson had devoted his life to his job, and the only woman he had ever felt romantic feelings toward was May.

May wasn't opposed to marriage and family life, she had two parents who had managed to make their marriage work even with both of them working for the CIA. Her mother stayed home with her most days, teaching her combat skills that her father had taught her. She would tell her stories about his job, would explain why she didn't go out on "adventures" as much as May's father did, and they would stay up on the nights when he was headed home to surprise him. Divorce had been in the works for a month or so, until one day it just stopped. The arguments grew less heated, the frustration that hung in the air faded, and to this day May would always find her parents grinning at her from the porch of their home when she would visit.

Marriage and a family wasn't unappealing for May, just a little out of reach. She dated plenty, but no one truly seemed to get her. Not the way a certain someone did. But even to this day she wanted to be a mother. She had always had a soft spot for kids, with their enthusiastic grins and vibrant way of viewing life. But her job took precedence over most things, so she hadn't thought about it in a while.

But this baby deserved a place to feel safe, a family to care for her, and parents who loved her. Judging from the way she was found, her birth parents were probably long gone, either dead or in hiding. Whether they had purposely left her alone or had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time and couldn't come back for her, it didn't matter. What mattered now was that she was alone in the world, and they could take care of her.

They wanted to.

"You'll... take her?" Hand frowned, taking a moment to absorb what this meant. "You do realize you two are signing up for a lot of responsibility, right?"

"I think we can handle it." He smirked, nudging May gently when she rolled her eyes at him.

"Alright then." Hand said with a sigh, laughing a moment later. "It's funny, Agent Fury actually mentioned you two when we first found her."

"Why us?" May's eyebrow raised.

"Well, you are the only agents that have managed to make a relationship work within the organization," Hand smirked when Coulson's cheeks tinged scarlet, as if the Director wouldn't know something like that. "and you're also the only agents that would be good parents. All of my other agents are either too busy, too reckless, on mission somewhere else, or already occupied with their civilian lives."

May bit the inside of her cheek to keep from grinning. While relationships weren't exactly against S.H.I.E.L.D's policy or regulations, they weren't exactly encouraged either. Being an agent was no small job. It meant being able to throw your biases and reservations out the window, to jump in front of a bullet for a civilian or rescue a fellow agent regardless of how you felt about each other. It also meant being able to shake off loss and keep going, because the world depended on it. S.H.I.E.L.D lost good men and women every now and then, but the agency had to keep moving forward to take down anyone that threatened them. Everyone knew how hard it was to lose even an agent you barely knew, it could be almost crippling to lose one you cared deeply for. So most agents kept their relationships fairly distant, and if they went any farther it didn't progress beyond an occasional hookup here and there.

But not Melinda May and Phil Coulson. They had been friends since their first day at the S.H.I.E.L.D Academy, had paired up and never left each other's side when it mattered most. Their more intimate relationship had started the day after graduation, when they had gotten their assignments and found out they wouldn't have to make a long distance friendship work. Coulson had practically blurted out his request for a date, and ever since then, they had been a team both in and out of the field. Marriage was a discussion they'd had a few times, but with the ever-changing nature of their jobs, they settled for a verbal agreement that it would happen when the timing was better.

There were a few moments where Coulson and Hand talked about the village where the baby was found, but Melinda tuned them out. She ran her thumb over the edge of the photo in the file, her lips quirking upward at the mischievous sparkle in the baby's eyes.

How could a baby who had no connection to either her or Coulson already remind her so much of them? She was obviously mixed with some sort of Asian descent, and it wasn't difficult to believe that she was also half caucasian. Yep, this little girl could easily pass for she and Coulson's daughter.

May tuned back in just as Director Hand asked if they had any pressing questions.

"When do we meet her?"

XXXXXX

Director Hand called down to the lab to see when they could meet the baby, and she was told that there were a few more tests they wanted to finish running before she was allowed to be seen. Hand relayed this information to Coulson and May, who could only nod and wait in their shared bunk.

This was where they finally talked about what they had decided to do.

"We're adopting a baby." Coulson said quietly, his hands on his hips and his eyes on the floor.

"A potentially dangerous destructive baby." May sighed from the bed, her legs crossed as she watched him start to pace.

"We're going to have to move."

"It's not like we have a lot to take with us." May smirked, glancing over at his shelf full of Captain America memorabilia. He had even more of it in storage, and she had a feeling they would be making a visit there soon. "Well, I don't anyway."

Coulson laughed, then let out a long breath and crawled onto the bed beside her. She leaned into him, her eyes on her lap as she imagined a baby lying there staring up at them.

"Do you think we'll be good parents…?" He mumbled against her head, his nose buried in her hair and his arm around her waist.

"I'm sure you'll be a great dad, Phil." May said softly. "Me, I'm not so sure about."

"You'll be an amazing mom, Mel." He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, smiling when she leaned into him a bit more.

"I don't deal with kids. I haven't even spoken to one in years."

"Neither have I." Coulson reminded her, pulling her into his lap and leaving kisses along her neck.

"Yes, but you're basically a big kid anyway." She smirked, squirming when he hit a ticklish spot.

"I would take offense to that if I thought it would get me anywhere." He mumbled against her skin. "But trust me, Melinda, you'll take to being a mom so fast it'll give everyone else whiplash."

She could only hope he was right, for the baby's sake.

XXXXXX

The lab they entered an hour later was clean, almost uncomfortably so, but May would never expect any less. With an 084 that was as vulnerable and needy as this one was, they had to be extremely careful to make sure she didn't end up sick or injured. That meant everything was sanitized, everyone wore gloves and face masks, and no one picked up the baby without prior authorization.

As they neared the incubator that held the newest member of their little family, May's chest filled with warmth. The baby's little feet kicked as different agents gently examined her, and her insistent displeased cries sounded as if she were frustrated with all the touching.

"Skye?" Coulson's voice took on a curious tone when they got closer to the baby, and May's heart twisted as the little one's eyes lit up at the sight of them. There was a name tag on the side of the incubator, which was where Coulson had gotten the name from.

"That was the name we found on the collar of her onesie." Hand replied as they looked down into the incubator. "Of course we would need to change it to protect her, and that would be up to both of you to choose. Thankfully she's young enough that it won't be hard for her to adjust to the change."

Baby Skye stared up at them, her eyes curious but heavy with exhaustion. Hand had told them that she hadn't slept much since they'd placed her in the incubator, and when May reached into the protected side and allowed Skye to hold her gloved finger, Skye let out the biggest and most adorable infant yawn.

Her eyes fluttered shut when Coulson hesitantly reached his own gloved hand in to stroke her cheek, but they shot open again the minute he moved away, her tiny bottom lip poking out and trembling in an all-too-familiar fashion.

"Can I hold her?" He asked, an urgency in his voice when Skye started to whimper and squirm. "I mean, is she cleared for it?"

Hand looked to the scientists on the other side of the incubator, and they nodded in assurance that the baby wasn't an immediate threat.

Well, they didn't think she was. There was no way they could know for sure until something happened. Everyone just hoped that that something wouldn't level the base. But so far, it seemed that Skye was just a normal, very tired baby.

Coulson removed his face mask and opened the incubator slowly, wincing slightly at the hiss it made. It felt wrong to be lifting a baby out of something that hissed, like she was a little specimen to examine. He held her at arm's length for a moment while she was unhooked from the little heart monitor on her chest. She wiggled for a moment when he held her against his chest, until her head was nestled against his shoulder, her curious gaze trained on May while she gummed on her fingers.

Coulson could feel Skye's little heart beating steadily through her onesie, and suddenly nothing else mattered but the soft bundle he held in his arms. Her tiny hands went to clutch his workout tee while she gnawed on it, the tiny grunts and babbles she made drowning him in a wave of tender warmth that made him forget how unsanitary his shirt might be.

May moved her hand from where it had been hanging at her side, removing her gloves and gingerly stroking the baby's dark curls. 

"Not in your mouth, baby." She said softly, watching as Skye's eyes closed and his shirt left her mouth, her hands releasing Coulson's shirt to grab May's fingers.

It was clear to everyone in the room that Skye had already taken to both of them, and it was also clear to Coulson that he had been right about May.

"We'll have to arrange a safehouse for you three, which may take a little while, but for now I'm pulling you both from the field." Hand expected some sort of negative response, or at least a huff of annoyance since these two thrived in the field, but Coulson and May simply continued watching as Skye yawned yet again. Hand laughed to herself, turning on her heel after informing them she would have a fake birth certificate made up for Skye. "I'll need to know her new name, though."

May finally tore her eyes from the baby's face, looking at the pattern on her onesie. Little indiscernible white flowers were all over it, and even Skye's socks sported larger versions of the same flower. May looked back at her face, then looked up at Phil whose face was glowing as if he had been handed the key to the universe.

"Her name is Daisy." May told Hand, who responded with an affirmative nod and a smile.

"Daisy Qiaolian Coulson." Coulson added a moment later, his eyes on Melinda's face right before Hand left the lab. Hand wrote the name on a sheet of paper, assuring them that she would let them know when it was all arranged. 

May allowed herself to smile at Coulson's addition of her middle name, and if they weren't surrounded by a handful of S.H.I.E.L.D scientists and a drowsy baby, she probably would have kissed him senseless.

XXXXXX

The next time Hand called in the new parents, it was the next day. May and Coulson had just finished changing a very reluctant and still tired baby into the only other salvageable onesie she had been found with. This one sported a single large daisy on it, and apparently had come with a matching pacifier that was situated comfortably in Daisy's mouth as May held her. Daisy was switching between the pacifier and gnawing relentlessly on a teething ring that Coulson had given her, occasionally taking it out only to wave it in the air before sticking it back between her gums. Coulson had tried to take the pacifier so she wouldn't drop it, but Daisy squealed and moved it out of his reach with a wide grin and infectious giggles.

Hand stood as the trio approached her desk, handing over a jet black folder for Coulson to open. She had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing when she saw how tired they seemed to be. May's expression was still as schooled as usual, but the subtle bags under her eyes was enough proof that the little one hadn't slept through the night. Well, that and the fact that Coulson looked like it hurt to keep his eyes focused as he read the paperwork in the folder.

Inside was a birth certificate, the information regarding the safehouse they would be staying in, and a fairly long list of what they would need to accommodate the little one.

"Daisy Qiaolian Coulson. Born July 2nd to Phil Coulson and Melinda May-Coulson." Coulson's brow furrowed for a moment. "We're using our real names?"

"Well, we thought it would simplify the situation. One day she's going to ask questions, and it would be better if you didn't have to start off explaining that your names are fake." Hand handed him a few more sheets of paper. "Besides, you two aren't that well known by anyone who isn't a part of S.H.I.E.L.D, and I'm hoping that will be enough to keep her safe."

"And if it isn't?" May's voice already held a protective motherly edge to it, and Coulson noticed the way her hand stilled on the gurgling baby's back as if she feared that they might have to run for it.

"That's why I'm trusting you two in particular with her. If anything were to happen-"

"We would put her safety above our own."

"And that's exactly what she needs. You leave in a week."

XXXXXX

"You know you can't hold her all night, Phil." May sighed, walking around the bed to her side. Coulson sat up against the headboard, the single lamp bathing the room in a warm glow that only served to make him look even more like an enamored father who was watching his daughter gnaw on her own fist with vigor. And while the scene was adorable beyond words, he looked like he might collapse from exhaustion if he stayed awake much longer.

The night before had been a rough one, and both of them desperately needed to sleep.

Skye, now officially Daisy, wasn't too much of a handful, but apparently knew that May and Coulson were now her parents, because she had definitely started acting like she was their daughter over the course of a single day with them. She whined whenever they walked away from her crib for longer than a few minutes, even when she seemed knocked out when they left. If at least one of them wasn't in the room with her, she lost it. 

She wasn't a loud crier, no... her cries were the type that made your heart ache with how desperate and pained they sounded. More than once May and Coulson had found themselves hurrying back to his bunk ten minutes after laying her down for a nap because she had sounded like her little heart was breaking over the rigged walkie talkie they'd left in the room.

They soon learned what actual deep sleep looked like for Daisy, and were able to get her down a few times during the day. Eventually May took to doing her paperwork on the bed while Daisy napped, so Coulson could take care of what needed to be done outside of his bedroom without Daisy bursting into agonized tears. 

Meals were messy, even with just a bottle. Daisy tended to giggle while she ate, and her little hands would grip the sides of the bottle just to tug it out of her mouth and grin up at whoever was feeding her. It was adorable, but got frustrating about twenty-five minutes in. What May really liked about mealtime was afterwards, when she could lay a content baby with a full tummy down on the bed between her and a pillow, where she could glance over and watch her lazily suck on her pacifier while she worked.

But now it was bedtime, and Daisy didn't look like she was in the mood to go back to her crib, even though it was right next to May's side of the bed and she was already having trouble keeping her eyes open. 

It didn't help that Phil looked like it just might kill him to put "his little girl" down.

"She can't sleep with us? Just for tonight?"

"Phil… she slept with us last night. If we let her sleep with us again, she's gonna start expecting that and we'll never get her to even nap in the crib." May sighed, climbing onto the bed. "We still have work to do in the morning and she has to get used to sleeping in her own bed."

The night before had been long and exhausting, getting up every hour to rock Daisy back to sleep when she realized she wasn't in their arms anymore. It was both heartbreaking and draining. 

When Coulson officially woke up to start the day, he found May asleep on her side next to him, a sleeping bundle curled against her chest with what looked like a victorious smile on her little face.

"I'll set an alarm so we get up on time." Phil smiled, looking down at Daisy when she reached up and gripped his collar. She turned her little face towards May, letting out a tiny grunt when May moved close enough for her to grab her shirt as well. "And I don't think we'll get her down in the crib for longer than a few minutes again, especially since she'll know we're right here and could easily come get her."

May sighed heavily at the pleading in both Coulson and Daisy's eyes. They had only had the little one for a day or so and she already had them wrapped around her adorable little finger.

When the lights went out and the room was quiet, Coulson lay on his back, Daisy sleeping peacefully on his chest, May cuddled up against him with her hand on Daisy's back. The initial agreement was that they would keep her in bed with them until she was completely asleep and then transfer her to her crib to try and get her used to it again, but neither of them could bring themselves to move when Daisy's sleepy coos quieted and her breathing evened out.

"Later." May yawned, her own eyes closing. "We'll get her used to her crib later."

"Yes, dear." Coulson chuckled sleepily.

XXXXXX

For a solid week, Daisy spent most of her time with Melinda. Whether she was going through paperwork, patrolling the halls or giving orders to her agents while they were sparring, little Daisy Qiaolian Coulson was right there either in her mother's arms or staring up at her from the stroller they'd bought. There had been more than a few instances where May would speak only to be interrupted by an excited squeal and incoherent babbling.

And that was fine. The other agents got used to her cries or whines of annoyance from being out of May's arms for too long, and waited patiently as May scooped up the whimpering baby before continuing what she was saying.

On that last day before they left, towards the end of the session, May sighed in exasperation and dismissed her agents just a little early. They hesitated, because May usually never ended sessions early regardless of what was going on, but began packing up when May turned to console Daisy who had just begun whimpering.

It was a little eerie that May had sensed that Daisy was upset before she actually made any sound.

"Okay you're spending the rest of the day with Phil." May grunted as she finished buckling her into the stroller, her face softening when Daisy stopped whimpering at the mention of Coulson. "You're excited to see him, aren't you?"

Daisy blinked, then kicked her chubby legs and waved her arms, bouncing in the stroller with the unbridled excitement that only a baby could have. May laughed softly, pressing a kiss to her little forehead before turning to gather her empty bottle and burp rag from the bench.

It was a little odd for her, being able to fall into the role of a mom so quickly. She had hardly any experience with children, because most missions didn't involve them. The few that did consisted of just getting the child out of harm's way before running back into the fight.

Maybe it was because she was doing this with Coulson. She loved him more than words could say, even though they had yet to actually voice that particular sentence to each other. He was wonderful, even when he was getting on her last nerve, and it was obvious how much he was enjoying being a dad. He would do anything for her and Daisy, and that made doing this, as terrifying and unfamiliar as it was, much easier.

Daisy continued to babble as they walked through the busy halls, receiving smiles and little waves from the other agents which only made her giggle and babble more.

"Heyyyyyy Agent May."

May fought back the urge to groan at the sound of a very familiar voice. She sighed, raising an eyebrow when John Garrett strode up beside her as she continued walking.

"What do you want, Garrett?"

"Whoa, whoa. Attitude." Garrett put up his hands in mock surrender. "Is Mama May a little cranky?"

May sighed heavily, slowing their pace and pushing Daisy's stroller out of the walkway as they stopped. John Garrett was both she and Coulson's good friend, the three of them graduating from the Academy at the same time. Garrett's assignment had moved him across the country, but he'd been reassigned a little closer at the beginning of last year. They ran into each other now and then, and since news traveled fast, it was no surprise that he knew about Coulson and May taking Daisy on as their own.

"Sorry, Garrett. She hasn't slept through the night in her own bed yet. We keep trying but she's stubborn."

Garrett smiled sympathetically, leaning down to look at Daisy who was smacking her teething ring against the stroller tray in front of her. She squealed when she saw his relatively familiar face, attempting to touch him with the slobbery plastic. He chuckled, tapping her nose playfully before straightening.

"Yeah she looks like a handful. How's it going with getting her off-base?"

"It's going well. We leave tonight."

"I bet Coulson's excited."

"More than excited. He wants to hold her all the time." May huffed, turning to push the stroller again when Daisy started to fuss from being still for too long. Garrett walked alongside them, his hands in his pockets. "I'm taking her to him now."

"She gettin' on your nerves?" Garrett laughed, thinking of his own kid back home, a ten-year-old boy named Grant who had a knack for taking things apart without knowing how to put them back together.

"No, it's just not easy to juggle a fussy baby and a group of agents at the same time." She sighed heavily when Daisy's teething ring hit the floor, and she paused to grab it and give her a clean one, this time shaped like a strawberry. "She needs more attention than I can give her right now."

"You think Coulson is free to take her?" Garrett chuckled.

"Nope." May snorted, smirking. "But he will be, trust me."

XXXXXX

May was right, as usual. The minute Phil saw them enter the common area and heard Daisy's incoherent babbling, he dropped the tablet he'd been working on and practically jogged over to them.

"Hey, Garrett." He smiled, shaking Garrett's hand. "Long time no see."

"Exactly what I was about to say. Glad to see you didn't let this one get away from you." He smirked, jerking a thumb in May's direction.

"Couldn't have. You might've tried to snatch her up if I did." Coulson chuckled.

"As if that would happen." May rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest.

Coulson and Garrett laughed, Coulson turning his attention downward as he kneeled in front of the stroller. Garrett left after squeezing May's shoulder encouragingly, wishing them good luck. Daisy's eyes widened when she noticed Phil, squealing loudly as she stuck her hands out to try and touch his face. 

"Hello little Angel Eyes." He smiled, kissing her palms playfully while she giggled. Coulson's grin widened and he lifted her out of the stroller, situating her against his chest with a content sigh. He smiled at May, pecking her cheek before pressing a kiss to her lips. 

"Hey."

"Hey yourself." 

He had only been away from them for half a day, but it had felt like an eternity. Director Hand had tasked him with making sure their duties would not go unfinished while they were away with Daisy, and it would have only taken an hour or so if he didn't keep getting lost in his own head.

"Angel Eyes?" May raised an eyebrow, glancing down pointedly at Daisy who was looking between them with her fist in her mouth.

"It's a dad thing." He shrugged, his mind wandering while he watched Melinda tidy up Daisy's curls with her fingers.

He was a dad. That thought had been bouncing around in his mind all day, flying to the forefront at the most inopportune times. More than once he'd been in the middle of writing a sentence or reading a paragraph, and he would remember exactly what he was doing all this work for.

He was officially a father now, had a beautiful woman at his side who may as well have been his wife, and they were about to move to a comfy home out of town to enjoy being domestic for once.

It was surreal and it was terrifying, but he couldn't have been more excited if he tried.

XXXXXX

Boarding the Quinjet that night was more than a little bittersweet. May and Coulson had dedicated their lives to S.H.I.E.L.D, and now they were walking away from it. Not permanently, though. They would still be on-call for whenever Hand wanted to talk things through or get their opinions, and once Daisy was older and safe enough for daycare, they would take on a low-stakes mission or two just to get out and about.

As far as their everyday life, they would still be paid by S.H.I.E.L.D since this was technically a mission, so there was no need to find another job. Most of their days would be spent taking care of Daisy, watching her grow and keeping track of any anomalies in her development. She was technically still an 084, so there would be certain precautions in place just in case a temper tantrum ended in another crater...or worse.

Daisy would also receive periodical checkups from the S.H.I.E.L.D scientists, so they would be seeing plenty of their fellow agents during those visits, especially since everyone had come to enjoy hearing Daisy's squeals and babbles echoing through the halls.

May cradled Daisy against her chest, feeling her snore softly beneath the blanket they had covered her with. Hand had sent out a few agents to pick up what they would need to at least get them through the first week, and had had it all loaded onto the Quinjet for their departure. They were leaving under the cover of darkness, around midnight, so Daisy was fast asleep and would hopefully stay that way in May's arms until they landed. Coulson walked alongside May, a diaper bag over his shoulder and a pair of small noise-canceling headphones in his hand. Although Daisy didn't seem to be remotely close to waking up, they didn't want to risk startling her and crashing the Quinjet while in the air.

Director Hand had come down to the hanger to see them off, patting the baby's back gently and telling them to contact her when they got settled. Garrett and a few other agents said goodbye as well, and before they knew it, they were above the clouds, flying away from what had become the very center of their lives. 

It took them a while to get Daisy settled long enough for them to unload the Quinjet once it landed in the clearing behind their new home, and once everything was in the house, Coulson and May were too tired to move Daisy to her crib before they fell asleep.

XXXXXX

Phil woke up the next day in their new bed, still clothed from the day before, various boxes of baby supplies and their few belongings around the room. Daisy was lying between him and May, her tiny fists clutching handfuls of their shirts as if she feared they would try and leave her while she slept. May was still fast asleep, something that he knew from experience was rare. But it wasn't every day that they uprooted themselves and moved into a new home with a baby.

She was allowed to sleep in for once.

Coulson slowly and carefully removed Daisy's hand from his shirt, sliding out of bed to stretch. He turned back to the scene he'd left, chuckling at how Daisy had rolled over to bury her face in May's shirt. May's hand that had once been lying across the baby's torso was now cradling her to her chest, her thumb rubbing a soothing pattern on top of her onesie.

It took every ounce of willpower to walk away and finally explore the house, because all Phil wanted to do was crawl back into bed and spend the morning with his girls.

His girls. His sort of wife and sort of daughter. They were fast asleep in the bed he was to share with, inevitably, both of them from now on, blissfully unaware that he had slipped away.

Coulson changed into a pair of sweatpants and a faded Academy t-shirt, wandering the house while humming a nondescript tune. The house had two floors, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a common area in the basement that could function as either an office or a playroom. The master bedroom was at the end of a hallway on the upper floor, the smaller bedroom beside it so Daisy could wander into their room without encountering the stairs if she ever had a nightmare.

Coulson glanced at the stairs that led up to the bedrooms, making a mental note to find a couple of sturdy baby gates so little Daisy wouldn't go tumbling down them. He physically winced at the idea of such a thing happening to her, and decided that would be his first priority. That and any other safety measures that needed to be installed like security cameras and a video doorbell.

Not many people knew where they were, but they couldn't let their guards down for even a second.

The house had a fairly picturesque feel to it, with its cream-colored walls and dark carpeting everywhere except the kitchen and dining room. The frames on the walls held random stock photos of families, all smiling so wide that it felt a little off-putting. Coulson's heart leapt when he realized that soon those frames would hold photos of him, May, and Daisy. 

He knew he would be the sort of dad that would want to photographically document every milestone that Daisy hit. Her first time eating solid food, her first word, her first steps, her first temper tantrum… every little event would be captured and hung in a frame. There would also be photos of May, of course, probably when she wasn't looking because she wasn't big on posing. But that was fine, Phil always thought that she was even more breathtaking when she wasn't trying to be...which was most of the time. 

He wandered into the living room, whistling lowly at the large flat screen television near the front window. Hand really had outdone herself, and he would have to make sure they thanked her for it. He ran a hand over the back of the plush couch positioned in front of the tv and grabbed the remote, flicking it to the news and turning to peruse the kitchen while the anchors blathered on.

XXXXXX

May woke to a tiny hand trying to sneak its way into her mouth. She groaned and grabbed it gently, opening her eyes to find Daisy trying to maneuver her other hand up to do the same thing with a determined look in her eyes.

"Okay, I'm up, I'm up." May said with a groggy laugh, gathering Daisy into her arms. She yawned, stretching as she stood and looked around. "Looks like Coulson left us all alone in here."

Daisy frowned up at her, and May swore her little eyes sparkled with irritation.

"How about we go find him?"

Daisy babbled her approval of that plan, and after May changed into more comfortable civilian clothes and got Daisy washed up and into a clean onesie, they headed out of the bedroom.

The smell caught her attention the minute they hit the bottom of the stairs. Daisy bounced on her hip, obviously excited at the prospect of food. May laughed, feeling just a little bit sorry for the little one. They weren't sure what solid foods she was able to eat, so the waffles and bacon they smelled probably wouldn't be on her menu just yet. May only hoped Daisy wouldn't put up too much of a fuss.

"There are my girls." Coulson grinned from the stove, turning off the burner and leaning over to give May a kiss after she settled Daisy in her highchair.

May hummed into the kiss, and if they weren't being watched by an impatient baby, it wouldn't have stopped there. 

But they were definitely being watched, if the annoyed whine they heard was any indication.

"What? I can't kiss your mom?" Coulson pouted, handing Daisy a teething ring from the freezer.

Daisy just let out some slobbery babbles as she gnawed on the teething ring.

"Most kids don't like seeing their parents kiss." May snorted, snatching a strip of bacon and biting the end. "I definitely didn't."

Coulson shrugged in response, sliding a couple of waffles onto a plate beside the bacon. May took it with an amused smile, walking over to the dining room table beside Daisy. Coulson finished making his own plate and joined them, sitting down just in time to see Daisy fussing over the fact that she couldn't have a waffle.

"Not yet, Daisy." May said with an exasperated sigh, pushing the little bowl of mashed apples closer to her. "We don't know if you can handle a waffle."

“Eat your apples, Angel Eyes.” Coulson said gently, brushing a lock of Daisy’s hair back from her face.

"Ehhhhhh!" Daisy's frown deepened at the feeling of being ganged up on, and her next annoyed outburst caused globs of apples to go flying. May rolled her eyes, standing to grab the wet wipes they’d left in the living room. Coulson tried to calm Daisy, who wanted nothing to do with him if he wasn’t giving her waffles. She kicked her legs and reached for his plate, her whining growing more incessant and reaching a crescendo.

“She wants your food Phil,” May said as she returned, wiping Daisy clean while she whined and squirmed in her chair. Daisy’s cries were plenty loud now but there wasn’t any shaking or earthquake-like vibrations...yet.

"Well she can't have it." Phil grunted. "She might choke."

"She doesn't know that." May winced when Daisy let out a screech, her voice growing louder to be heard over Daisy's frustrated noises. "She's not going to stop until we let her have some!"

“We don’t know if she can have waffles yet!” Phil said with a huff, reaching out just in time to avoid catching a little foot to the face when he bent down to pick up the spoon Daisy had flung.

Daisy’s cries were bordering on distressed beyond all reason, as if her problem had nothing to do with simply wanting to eat waffles. She smacked her palms down onto the tray of her highchair into the pile of mashed apples, making May’s task of trying to clean her up even more difficult.

“Well do you want to find out what happens when a hungry 084 throws a temper tantrum?” May practically hissed, doing her best to keep Daisy from launching herself out of her chair as tears started rolling down her cheeks.

The room was finally quiet about ten minutes later. Daisy was positioned on Coulson’s lap at the dining room table, happily gumming on a floppy room-temperature waffle while May threw the last apple-covered paper towel in the trash. They had chosen not to break it up into pieces, allowing her slobber to soften the waffle enough for her to swallow. Coulson wiped his brow with the back of his hand, sighing when his hand came away coated with mashed apples.

“Well, we can mark ‘temper tantrum’ off the list of firsts.” He grunted, smiling thankfully up at May as she wiped his face clean. "Too bad I didn't have my phone out to take a picture."

“Turns out she’s just as bad as you are when you don’t get what you want.” she sighed, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

“Hey, I haven’t cried like that in months.” he chuckled, looking back down at Daisy who was trying to offer a section of soaking wet waffle to him. “No thank you sweetheart.”

Daisy blinked at him, turning her attention to May as she sat in the chair next to them. She grinned, reaching for her with a happy gurgle. 

“Here you go, Mama Mel.” Coulson grinned, all too happy to hand the baby with sticky hands over. May rolled her eyes at the nickname, standing with Daisy on her hip.

Coulson stood as well, leaning forward to steal a kiss before being thwarted by a finger against his lips.

“Go take a shower, Papa Phil. You smell like bacon.” May smirked at his disappointed expression, turning to raise an eyebrow at Daisy. “Tell him to go shower, babygirl.”

"Bah!" Daisy grinned, excited to be included in the conversation. Rather than attempt to get out the shape of a sentence, she flung her now very cold waffle at him. May failed to smother her laughter at the way it stuck to his shirt, which only spurred Daisy on and made her giggle wildly as well. Coulson sighed and rolled his eyes, tossing the waffle into the trash.

“You’re setting a bad example for our daughter.” he frowned at May, seriously struggling to keep the smile off of his face at the sound of Daisy’s delighted squeals.

“I didn’t tell her to do it.” May smirked, turning on her heel towards the stairs while Daisy babbled incoherently at her.

XXXXXX

Coulson left the master bathroom fully dressed with a towel on his head, furiously drying his hair. He pulled it off of his head to finish drying his face, freezing in place at the soft giggles he heard from the middle of the room. He moved the towel away from his face to find Daisy sitting up in the middle of the bed, pillows around her and a teething ring in her hand. She wore a little red t-shirt with the words “Daddy’s Girl” across the front, black sweatpants and little white tennis shoes. Her hair had obviously been brushed while it was wet, different strands curling up as they air-dried. Her pacifier was attached to her shirt by a pastel pacifier clip, which was already wet from her chewing on it instead of sucking her actual pacifier. She was absolutely adorable. 

“Hey there Angel Eyes.” he said softly, picking her up and pressing a kiss to her cheek. She smiled, dropping her teething ring to grab his face and pat his cheeks, making him chuckle. “Where’s May?”

May entered a second later, tablet in hand and phone lowering from her ear.

“Just had to check in with Hand. She wanted to know how we were getting settled, and asked if we needed anything. Figured she'd be safe in here with you for a few minutes." May smirked, tossing the tablet onto the bed.

“What’d you tell her?” He asked with a smile, laying Daisy down beside him, one hand on her tummy as he slipped his tennis shoes on.

“That we were fine and would check in again after we got everything unpacked.” she sat on the bed on the other side of Daisy, scooping her up and settling her in her lap as she opened a coloring book app for her to scribble on. Daisy babbled as she smeared slobber over the tablet, blissfully unaware of her parents’ conversation. “She suggested we get her vaccinated pretty soon.”

Coulson froze in place, his left shoe in his hand. He sat up with an eyebrow raised, glancing down at the happy baby in her lap.

“Ooh...shots.” he winced. “Not going to be a fun trip.”

“Temper tantrum number two more than likely.” she sighed, stroking Daisy’s damp hair, causing her to look up at her with an innocent little smile. “We’ll have to make an appointment for after she’s cleared by S.H.I.E.L.D for shots.”

“I'll make sure I toss some snacks in her diaper bag for afterwards.” Coulson sighed, standing and walking towards the door and allowing them to step out before him. “Maybe some w-a-f-f-l-e-s too."

They left the house twenty minutes later, Daisy situated against May’s chest as Coulson loaded the stroller and carseat into the car.

“Whoever designed this thing obviously was in the wrong field.” He huffed, sliding out of the backseat and cracking his back, patting the car seat as if he had just finished assembling a truck. “Should’ve been an architect for NASA or something.”

May rolled her eyes at his theatrics, stepping forward to buckle Daisy in. She frowned up at her when the buckle clicked, but seemed placated when May slid the pacifier between her lips. May smiled as Daisy’s eyes closed, pressing a kiss to her forehead and smoothing her hair. She closed the door, nearly running into Coulson’s chest when she turned around. She snorted, raising an eyebrow as she met his eyes.

“I thought you were getting in the car, Phil.”

“I was.” he smiled tenderly, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her flush against him.

“Coulson, we have a baby waiting for us.” she hummed, reaching up to toy with the hair at the back of his neck.

“She'll be fine for a few minutes.” he muttered, leaning down to capture her lips in a series of searing kisses. “I love you.”

May's stomach flopped, her heart twisting and pulse pounding so hard that she swore she could hear the blood rushing in her ears. All she could do was stare into his eyes, her face warm and body tingling from the sheer amount of love and affection she found written all over his face.

Sure, she knew they cared for each other. They wouldn't have started seeing each other if they didn't. He proved to her every day that he held her above everyone else, so much so that there wasn't a single moment where she doubted his feelings for her. 

But he hadn't told her he loved her yet.

She figured it was because of how perilous their line of work was. Those three little words would cement their bond, would officially tie them together in a way that no one could sever. They meant the world to each other, and speaking those words aloud made it almost tangible. But one botched mission, one miscalculated act, one misjudged shot...and it would all fall apart. Neither of them wanted to put the other through that sort of trauma.

The chance of something like that occurring was much lower now. They had been pulled from the field and tucked away where no one without Level 10 security clearance would know where they were. 

As far as anyone was concerned, they were just a couple of lovestruck idiots raising their baby. Of course he felt the urge to tell her he loved her. He could do that now.

"I love you too, Phil." She tugged him down for another breathtaking kiss, pulling away only to whisper against his lips. "So much."

"Then marry me." He muttered, tears welling up in his eyes for reasons he didn't fully understand.

There was no hesitation on May's part. They had waited long enough for something like this. She wanted to be happy, with him and Daisy. She wanted to be a family, a real family like the ones they used to make fun of in those awful Hallmark movies. The ones who ate dinner together and cuddled during the holidays, the ones who danced in the living room and went sledding when snowstorms hit, and the ones who never let any sort of conflict tear them apart.

"Yes." She grinned, melting into yet another kiss, laughing into his shoulder when he picked her up and spun her around.

Daisy's muffled yet still audible cry was enough to shatter the moment, making them both laugh at her expression when they turned and saw her furiously waving her pacifier at them through the slightly tinted window. 

"Guess that means it's time to go." Coulson shrugged, kissing May's cheek soundly before releasing her and opening her door for her.

XXXXXX

A month later, Daisy was making tiny displeased noises as they entered the doctor's office. It smelled like hand sanitizer mixed with expired fruit snacks, and even May couldn't stop herself from wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"I know, babygirl." She shifted Daisy on her hip, watching her turn her face away and cling to her tighter. "I don't like it either."

Coulson went up to the counter to sign her in, joining them in the little waiting area with a slight frown.

"I've never been a big fan of the doctor." He whispered, smiling as Daisy bounced on May's lap, her little frown still in place. "I guess that's where she gets it from."

"Hm." May said distractedly.

\---

A week ago they had carted Daisy back to base, only slightly surprised at how excited everyone was to see them. Daisy was showered with more attention than she knew what to do with, and if they were honest with themselves May and Coulson didn't mind. She loved attention, and having this much all at once would make her checkup a lot easier. Director Hand had come down to the lab in the middle of it, laughing softly at the way the scientists had to keep gently asking Coulson and May to let them work. 

They were such parents now. They flinched nearly every time Daisy made a displeased or distressed sound, and more than once May had moved forward to calm her "little flower" when Daisy reached for her helplessly. After her checkup, Hand had invited them back to her office, where Daisy sat on Coulson's lap and tried to grab literally everything on her desk. Coulson scolded her gently, and May gave her a look that finally got her to focus on the actual toys they had handed her instead.

Hand tried to focus on the actual questions she had for them, but the three of them had already come so far since she'd last seen them. 

Daisy was calmer, and visibly more settled with two parental figures around. And when she looked at them, it was as if they had hung the moon just for her. May had settled well into the role of a mother. She had that "I'm a mom" glow about her, which made Hand almost want to laugh at how natural it looked. Coulson hardly ever stopped smiling, and when he did, his eyes still shone. May and Daisy were obviously his world, and anyone could see that he would do anything to hold onto them.

Hand had known they would be the perfect parents for their little 084, and judging from how well little Daisy was doing, she had been right.

\---

"Daisy Coulson?"

May blinked out of her memories, looking up to find a nurse holding a door open with a clipboard in her hand. Daisy looked up at May as they stood, her little face showing all the concern May was feeling. Coulson rested a hand on May's lower back, smiling down at Daisy when she whined in his direction.

"It's okay, Daisy girl. Just a quick visit to see the doctor." 

The three of them followed the nurse to the room Daisy would be examined in, and Daisy seemed fairly calm as the nurse asked a few questions about her health. She held Coulson's finger tightly with one hand, her other hand clutching May's shirt, which was fine… until the doctor came in and took Daisy's heartbeat while the nurse brought in a little tray of needles. 

One look at the tray and Daisy lost it.

She had thrown temper tantrums before, but nothing compared to this particular one. May and Coulson tried to keep her calm as they prepped her little arms and legs for her shots, but Daisy was having none of it. She cried and screamed, tears rolling down her cheeks the minute the first shot was administered. Her parents tried to stay calm, but even May's eyes started to burn as she held Daisy as securely as she could so she wouldn't squirm away.

"It's okay Angel Eyes… it's almost over." Coulson said softly from beside May, gently petting Daisy's head and allowing her to scratch up his arm as she tried to get away from the scary man with the pointy things. "You're okay, I promise…"

May was glad Coulson was there to at least try to console their baby girl, because at that moment all she could do was hold her and wait for it to be over. Daisy's anguished sobbing, mixed with the desperate gasping she could hear and feel in her arms was much worse than she thought it would be.

And it was about to get even worse than that.

Coulson noticed it first, the sudden rattling of metal and the way the pens and cotton balls near the sink were gradually shaking their way towards the edge of the counter. He looked down at Daisy, alarmed at how tightly her eyes were closed, her legs kicking as hard as she could get them to go, her skin a shade of red that reminded him of a cherry.

"Mel." He said rather quietly, glad that the doctor and nurse had turned to grab the objects that were trying to clatter onto the floor. "Melinda, we have to calm her down."

May frowned, finally looking down at the sobbing baby in her arms. She looked around, watching framed posters fall off the wall and listening to glass breaking in a different room.

"An earthquake?" The nurse asked the doctor, her eyes wide with panic.

"Is this part of the country? Not likely." He said with a huff, turning back to May and Coulson. "Um, we'll be right back. Stay right here, everything will be fine."

Coulson immediately moved in front of May the minute they were gone, gently shaking Daisy's little hand to get her attention. Daisy, too caught up in her panic to notice him, simply cried harder.

"Daisy!" He finally shouted, startling his daughter so much that she stopped crying abruptly. Her eyes continued to fill with tears, but now because she thought she was in trouble. Thankfully Coulson and May were able to sense that, and enveloped her in a warm hug between them. Daisy cried for a little while longer, but eventually realized she was safe and her cries turned into soft pained whimpering. The shaking and overall chaos suddenly stopped, and both May and Coulson let out simultaneous sighs. 

"I'm sorry, Daisy… I'm so sorry…" Coulson gently rubbed the spots she had gotten poked in, his heart aching at the way she stared up at him. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, cradling her in his arms as May went to grab some tissue for her tears and snot. "Well, now we know why she was found in a crater."

May couldn’t respond, she just held her daughter a little bit tighter.

When the doctor returned, May and Coulson were still standing there, little Daisy between them, quietly assuring her that everything would be alright. All of the picture frames were on the floor, some of the containers from the cabinet above the sink broken on the counter… but the three of them were fine.

“Is everyone alright?”

“We’re fine.” Coulson forced a smile.

Apparently Daisy's little outburst had damaged some important equipment, and they were asked to reschedule and come back to finish her vaccinations.

"Hopefully there won't be any earthquakes next time."

Coulson and May could only laugh half-heartedly at the doctor's attempt at a joke as they left.

XXXXXX

On the car ride home, Daisy refused to get back into her carseat. So, as unsafe as it was, May cradled her to her chest in the backseat all the way back to the house. Daisy, exhausted from nearly leveling an entire doctor's office, fell asleep only moments after she was laid down in her crib.

They watched her sleep for a few minutes to see if she would wake up, but it seemed she was down for a while. They flicked on the baby monitor, then left the room quietly to go collapse on the couch. May leaned into his side, her heart still feeling heavy as she remembered the pure fear and desperation on Daisy's little face.The guilt was eating at her, and she wasn’t sure what to do about it.

"Tell me what you're thinking, Mel." Phil muttered against her hair, kissing her head softly as he tucked her more securely against him. "Talk it out."

May sighed heavily, glad that he could read her so well. One of the things she had learned from being with him was that it was better to talk things out than to hold them in. Letting your emotions stew could be painful, and Coulson was such a good listener that she didn't mind venting to him.

"Her face, Phil. The way she was looking at me. Like she couldn't believe I let it happen to her. Like I betrayed her."

"She didn't understand why we were doing it. She needs her shots, and while it is uncomfortable and she hates it, she could get really sick without them." 

"But it's the fact that she doesn't understand that makes it so hard. She was scared, Phil. She wanted us to make it better and… I didn't. I feel like I failed her."

Coulson pulled away, tilting her chin up so he could look into her eyes.

"You didn't fail her, Mel, okay? You did what any good parent would do, which is allow a little discomfort to prevent a lot of suffering later." He kissed her softly, wiping away the single tear that had slipped down her cheek. "You're an awesome mom, Melinda."

"...I don't deserve you, Phil." She sighed, curling up against him, her head on his torso as he leaned against the arm of the couch.

"Oh trust me, I feel the exact same way about you." He smiled, rubbing her side tenderly. They were quiet for a while, simply basking in the warmth and quiet surrounding them, until Coulson cleared his throat. "I guess we should talk about the whole...daughter causing an earthquake thing." 

May sighed, reaching to dig into his pocket to grab his phone.

"I'll call Hand."

XXXXXX

"Was anyone hurt?"

"No, not that we know of." May glanced up as Phil paced past her, gently rocking a reluctant Daisy. 

She had slept for an hour, which had allowed Coulson and May to take a much-needed break and just enjoy each other for a little while. But she had woken up rather loudly, and with a fever. They had looked it up, and found out that it was perfectly normal for babies to have a mild fever after vaccinations. It was almost 1am now, and both Coulson and May were almost too exhausted to think straight. Every time they went to set her down, she let out pained whimpers until they picked her up again. Hand had been busy when they called earlier in the day, and thankfully she was still awake now to hear about Daisy's rather exciting doctor's appointment. May watched Coulson gently run his thumb over the colorful band aids on Daisy's legs as he bounced her, which were serving as candy-colored reminders of the pain she had endured earlier.

"Good, good. How's she been since then?"

"Fine. Cranky." May yawned, leaning back against the headboard. "She has a low-grade fever, which is apparently normal, but she's been especially clingy since she woke up from her nap. Phil's been trying to get her to go back to sleep in her crib but she won't go."

"Well it sounds like she went through a lot today. She might just really need to be near you two tonight." Hand said after a moment of silence. "I know you've been trying to wean her off of sleeping with you but maybe you make an exception for now."

May looked up and met Coulson's exhausted gaze, smiling and gesturing for him to crawl into bed beside her. He groaned gratefully, holding Daisy to his chest as he slid under the covers beside her. He laid Daisy down between them on her back, smiling tiredly at her as he laid his head on his pillow.

Coulson listened to May filling Director Hand in for a little while longer, but eventually exhaustion took him over and he conked out with Daisy gnawing on his fingers. His snoring eventually reached May's ears, and she laughed softly at how both he and Daisy were fast asleep beside her.

"I think they're both out now. We'll check in again soon."

"Talk to you then. Take care of them, May."

"I always do."

Melinda slid out of bed and flicked off the light on the nightstand, setting a spare diaper and package of wipes on it just in case Daisy woke up needing a change. She paused for a moment, taking in the scene waiting for her in bed.

Coulson had one arm slung over Daisy's tiny body, her hand on his forehead as she slept. Her other arm was stretched out in May's direction, waiting for her to climb in beside them so she could grab her shirt and refuse to let go until morning. Coulson's even breathing ruffled Daisy's curls, making her little face scrunch up and her hand move down to haphazardly cover his mouth. May stifled a laugh, climbing into bed and sliding Daisy toward herself so Phil could sleep without waking up to slobbery fingers in his mouth. Daisy yawned, rolling onto her side and curling up against Melinda's chest, falling back into a deep sleep.

Coulson grunted at the loss of warmth and reached out blindly, humming in approval when his hand found Melinda's waist. Melinda May-Coulson rolled her eyes, running a hand over his head affectionately, and pressing a kiss to their Daisy's still warm forehead before dropping off herself to the sound of her soon-to-be husband's snoring.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! I am EXHAUSTED. Leave a comment! Let me know the emotions you experienced or if you're more dead inside as a result of reading this XD


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